Brian McLaren, an evangelical pastor and author of "A New Kind of Christian" writes:
"Sadly, for centuries at a time in too many places to count, the Christian religion has downplayed, misconstrued, or forgotten the secret message of Jesus entirely. Instead of being about the kingdom of God coming to earth, the Christain religion has too often become preoccupied with abandoning or escaping the earth and going to heaven. Too often its members have forgotten the teachings of Jesus about making peace and turning the other cheek and crossing boundaries to serve peopleformerly considered 'outsiders'.
We have, instead, launched or baptized wars, prepetuated racism, and defended an unjust status quo. We have betrayed the message that the kingdom of God is available for all, beginning with the least and the last and the lost----and instead have believed and taught that the kingdom of God is available for the elite, beginning with the correct and the clean and the powerful.
.........our music has too often been discordant, shallow, or played...without feeling and passion.....And whenever that happens, our audiences do exactly as they should: they ignore us and our message, or they turn from us in boredom or disgust."

What say ye.....has the message been distorted by the very ones commissioned with it's dissemination????

shygrneyzs

Well...... there are some teachers and preachers who have distorted the message of Jesus - yes. That is easily proven. Does that invalidate the message of Jesus? NO. Do you have to believe every evangelist, every minister, every priest and pastor out there? NO. We are responsible for living according to the teachings of Christ; not man, not a church, not a demonination. I am sure that is why so many people, who once professed to be a Christian cannot tolerate Christianity - so much has been done in the name of Jesus that is false and wrong and just plain sinful.

But what are you going to do? Go hide under a rock? We cannot look for a person to instill our passion for living for Christ. If we do, we will fail - not just ourselves but the Lord's plan for our lives.

N0help4u

Yeah, I have been saying for a few years that Christianity has become more "pie in the sky" everything is fine and motivational speaking than any Biblical teachings.
I think it is for a few reasons
A. nobody wants to hear "hell and brimstone" type teachings
B. they want to 'fit' into modern society to attract more people
and be 'Politically Correct' so they don't offend 'non-believers.
C. they are following the Televanglist's style.
D. People have rationalized 'If God is a loving God....' to the point that
they can only understand God from man's opinions.

Tertullian

The problem is not, so much, that many Christian leaders have abandoned Biblical teachings, but they have relied on too many subjective misinterpretations of Scriptture to lambast non-believers, and have forgotten Jesus prime message, that the kingdom of GOD is NOW....we can all be a part of it NOW....we don't have to wait for that 'pie in the sky when we die'....we can transform our world NOW and make it the kind of all-inclusive world that IS (and MUST BE) the kingdom of God, not just a Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim enclave. So long as we keep our eyes firmly fixed on a celestial reward (and nothing else)...we lose sight of the needs of our brothers and sisters in THIS world. I believe it was the German mystic Meister Eckhart who said: "until we can see the face of Jesus in EVERY man, we will never know Jesus".
I can only paraphrase: Until we can see Jesus in the face of our 'enemies' we can never further the kingdom of God on earth, as Jesus planned.

inthebox

yes - in general.

prosperity is quite different compared to reading how the early Christians were and what some underwent in the book of Acts.


However; that being said, there are churches that help those in need - look at the response to Katrina. Salvation Army is another Christian organization that cannot be faaulted for losing the way.

And I know, my local megachurch stood by the families of a local plane crash, as well as hold food and clothing drives. One member donated the car of his recently deceased wife to another church member, single mother. So there are reflections of the Holy Spirit, in today's churches.

N0help4u

what I meant by 'pie in the sky' was both Christians wanting the easy fluff answers for NOW as well as the when we die part.
I see what you are saying and I agree. That bothers me too. I see so many Christians go to Church and the preacher preaches to be open to the needs of 'others less fortunate' and if the preacher doesn't take up a collection for soandso who lost everything they don't see anybody's needs. They leave Church and run to the Buffet and stuff their bellies then to Wal Mart and waste money on some frivolous thing they don't need. If they do happen to see someone in need they 'leave it to somebody else'.
Then if they DO help somebody with a need and don't happen to charge them for the favor they make them the Poster child of what great work they did. Usually they pass up the helping the person that has a true need to help the person with the need that they will get more recognition and congradulations on helping.
Then they wonder why the people they ignore leave the Church.

I still say it is a largely a result of today's instant, convenient and popularity mentality for the most part.

shygrneyzs

Then look at the millions of dollars in some of those buildings. Sure, they are beautiful but does that make them holy? Not just picking on Christian churches, have seen many temples built like mansions. Who does that serve?

One thing I have noticed about some of the demoninations - the way they minister to single and divorced parents, as well as divorced people. It does not fit into their pattern of accepted. That is why I quit going to church - I stick out like a sore thumb and was even told that in "no way" could I talk about my struggles concerning being a single parent. Now I know that was not Christ speaking through my former pastor. That was just my pastor and the board and deacons. I could have used that as an excuse to turn my back on my beliefs but that would have been just as bad.

RickJ

I won't read past the first sentence. What he says, about Christianity in general, is absolutely rediculous. Certainly I would agree to what he says about some Christians and/or some organizations, but not Christianity in general.

Tertullian

Rick:
What do you refer to when you state "Christianity in general"....Protestant Christianity, Roman Catholic Christianity, Orthodox Christianity....Fundamentalist Christianity, non-denominational Christianity? Are you not 'generalizing' Christianity in the same way that you accuse McLaren of doing? And to what purpose?

Tertullian

You make some salient points. The irony is that, in the case of Katrina, the most visible and quickest responders to the tragedy were the Mormons, and the Catholic Church, neither of which is credited with being truly "Christian" by many fundamentalist Christians.